searching

I had made an arrangement to meet with a friend at her house. She had built a fire in the back yard and we were going to light the fire and enjoy a wine together. In my dream, I fell asleep as I was so very tired, and then awoke after the time I was meant to visit my friend. I tried to call her but things kept happening that delayed the call. Finally, I was able to reach her, but it was too late and we had to cancel the engagement.

Next, I was in Newcastle, in the city. I dressed in an unusual outfit: black skirt, black high-heeled boots, black top, stockings and coat, but with vermillion socks just showing above the boot line. For a moment, the socks were white as I was dressing, but the colour embarrassed me, looking totally inappropriate with my black attire, and they changed to a more suitable, if strange, colour and fabric to go with the outfit. I remember putting the boots on my feet and then, sitting, lifting one leg straight up in the air, admiring my black booted leg and amazed that I was still flexible. I left the building where I had been dressing and made my way through lanes and foyers to a stairwell with cement stairs. I climbed the stairs and on the way, I met a man wearing no shirt and with a white cockatoo perched on his shoulder. He said he was a butcher from the Hunter Valley and gave me some advice, which I cannot now recall. I emerged at street level and searched for the place that I was meant to go. I found a café and sat with a couple of people, a man and a woman, having a coffee. The man told me I was beautiful and I was surprised that he thought that. I thought he would prefer a different type of woman: tall and slender. I left the group, still trying to find the place that I was meant to be. I could see the buildings of Newcastle, old heritage listed places and newer office block buildings. I found a boutique that stocked gorgeous clothes and I wanted to go in but was apprehensive as I felt out of place. As I hesitated, I could see an image advertising an event that intrigued me, some strange mix of theatre, dance, fashion and art that was to be held in a great space above a shoe shop on the corner. I could also see an email (that magically appeared in the air before me) that a friend of mine had sent, RSVPing to the event. I wanted to go and wondered how my friend knew about it, particularly as he lived in Brisbane.